Offer Wine and Beer.

Photo by crateandbarrel.com

You’ll need lighter drinks, too. Greek whites pair well with summer food. For beer, choose a variety with an alcohol content of 4 to 5 percent; it will quench thirst and is good for day drinking. Add a bucket of trendy canned sparkling wines—no glasses to clean.

Keep Tools in Clear View.

Photo by williams-sonoma.com

Empower guests by having these: a wine opener, a bottle opener, straws, a strainer, a shaker, a bar spoon, a jigger, beverage napkins, an ice bucket with scoop, a bar towel for the inevitable spill, and a nearby trash can. Plastic cups are fine for casual gatherings.

Serve a Pretty Punch.

Photo by cb2.com

Use this ratio to get it right: one of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, four of weak. For a simple rum punch, that would be one part lime juice, two parts simple syrup, three parts rum, and four parts water. Fill a Bundt pan with water and put it in the freezer 24 hours ahead of time for a beautiful ring of ice that will keep the mix chilled.

Batch Your Drinks.

Photo by crateandbarrel.com

Recuse yourself from bar duty with make-ahead, big-batch drinks (stirred ones, like margaritas, negronis, and sangria, are easiest). For simplest batching, change the ounce amount in your cocktails to cups to increase the servings from one to eight.

Build a DIY Station.

Photo by williams-sonoma.com

Don’t feel obligated to stock a full bar of liquor or make drinks to order. Put out standby spirits like vodka and gin with basic mixers (club soda, ginger ale, tonic) and garnishes (slices of lemons, limes, oranges) and let guests whip up their own cocktails.

Subscribe

All products and services featured are selected by our editors. Real Simple may receive compensation for some links to products and services in this email on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.